As the 2026 college football season draws near, six Power Five coaches find themselves under a microscope that few can escape. Each is tasked with reversing a slide that has gathered momentum over the past two years, and the stakes are amplified by massive buyout packages that have reshaped the sport's financial landscape.
Mike Norvell, who once guided Florida State to a playoff appearance, now watches his program tumble to the bottom five of the ACC for consecutive years. A 3‑0 start in 2025 quickly unraveled into just two wins over the final nine games, underscoring the difficulty of sustaining momentum after a promising beginning.
Bill Belichick, hired to revitalize North Carolina, endured a debut season marked by five double‑digit losses and only four victories. The Tar Heels missed a bowl game for the first time since 2018, and the situation was compounded by the leave of general manager Michael Lombardi amid a school investigation.
A season of upheaval
Shane Beamer’s fifth year at South Carolina ended with a 4‑8 record, as the Gamecocks slipped to 15th in the SEC and dropped six of their last eight contests. Meanwhile, Luke Fickell at Wisconsin posted a 4‑8 mark for the second straight year, highlighted by shutout defeats to Iowa and Ohio State.
Bill O’Brien’s tenure at Boston College took a sharp turn downward after an initial 7‑6 season; the coach fell to a 2‑10 record in 2025, enduring a ten‑game winless stretch sandwiched between victories over Fordham and Syracuse.
Mike Locksley at Maryland continues to navigate a tough Big Ten environment, finishing 4‑8 in both 2024 and 2025 after back‑to‑back 8‑5 campaigns in 2022 and 2023. His struggle reflects a broader trend of instability across the conference.
The upheaval is not limited to individual programs. In 2025, eight Power Five coaches were dismissed, and fifteen Bowl Subdivision coaches were let go, resulting in $270 million in buyout packages. The financial fallout illustrates how performance pressures are reshaping coaching contracts and athletic department budgets nationwide.